Apple Releases Aperture 1.1

Apple® today released Aperture™ 1.1, a significant update to the revolutionary all-in-one post production tool for photographers that runs natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs. Aperture 1.1 features dramatically improved RAW image rendering and a new set of advanced RAW adjustment controls. Aperture 1.1 also delivers impressive speed gains on any Mac® including desktop performance on a MacBook™ Pro* with image adjustments and searching up to 4x faster. At a new lower price of $299, Apple is putting Aperture within reach of anyone shooting with a digital SLR camera.

"Since Aperture launched just over four months ago, we've been
incredibly focused on improving image quality and performance, working
closely with pro photographers to get it right in 1.1," said Rob
Schoeben, Apple's vice president of Applications Marketing. "With the
RAW quality and overall speed of Aperture 1.1 and its new low price,
there's never been a better time for pros and hobbyists alike to take
the art and craft of photography to the next level."

"I love the fact that you can save RAW adjustments in Aperture 1.1 and
use those settings on future jobs," said Pulitzer Prize-winning
photographer Vincent Laforet who recently used Aperture to capture
Olympic images from Torino for The New York Times. "In the past,
sending a selection of photos to clients for approval could take hours
to import, edit down, resize, tone and deliver. With Aperture, I can do
all of this in five minutes. Aperture has become the core application
for me."

"The controls for working with black and white film in Aperture 1.1 are
staggering -- much more powerful than a wet darkroom," said John
Stanmeyer, co-founding member of the VII Photo Agency and a contract
photographer with Time Magazine. "There are times when I'm working with
Aperture that I'm about to burst through my skin with excitement at its
potential. There's no doubt Aperture will become the key tool for
photographers."

RAW image rendering in Aperture 1.1 is greatly improved in areas such
as noise reduction, sharpening, and highlight recovery. New RAW Fine
Tuning controls allow photographers to tweak decode settings such as
boost, sharpening and chroma blur. A new built-in color meter displays
pixel values in RGB, Lab or CMYK in the Adjustments HUD (heads up
display) or in Aperture's Loupe magnifying viewer. Enhanced export
controls make it easier to output images at specific resolutions and
improve the handling of layered Photoshop files. Aperture 1.1 offers
support for the Nikon D200 and Canon 30D, as well as dozens of
reliability and performance improvements.

Aperture 1.1 delivers significant performance gains on both
PowerPC-based and the new Intel-based Macs providing photographers with
desktop level experience on the new MacBook Pro and delivering a
powerful entry-level photography workstation on the new Intel-based
iMac®. Performance tests on a MacBook Pro have shown that common
repetitive workflow tasks such as Lift and Stamp and searching are
processed up to 4x faster on a MacBook Pro than on a PowerBook® G4.

Pricing & Availability
Aperture 1.1 is available immediately as a free Software Update to
current Aperture 1.0 customers. In addition, early adopters of Aperture
1.0 can claim a $200 (US) coupon redeemable at the Apple Online Store
by visiting http://www.apple.com/promo/aperture/ as a thank you for
their support. Aperture 1.1 is available to order for new customers for
a suggested retail price of $299 (US) through the Apple Store®
(www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and through Apple Authorized
Resellers.

* Performance tests on a MacBook Pro have shown that common repetitive
workflow tasks such as Lift and Stamp and searching are processed up to
4x faster on a MacBook Pro with 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo than a 15-inch
PowerBook G4 with 1.67 GHz Power PC.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the
Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the
Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation
with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating
system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also
spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music
players and iTunes online music store.